Many devices and systems use a keyboard or similar terminal as a user interface to access the device or system. Keyboard terminals are generally hardware devices or user interfaces that emulate typewriters, but they are also keypads on cellular telephones, portable devices such as PDA's and touch screen devices, tablet computers, or other devices that use a touch screen for key entry. These types of devices with the user interfaces may for example be a computer or electronic machine that generally requires any type of input such as alphanumeric input, but keyboards are not restricted to having alphanumeric keys.
On keyboards for example, statistical dynamics of the keyboard typing, entry or input are generally unique to the user. Therefore, the dynamics of the keyboard may provide a statistical signature of the user at the human-device interface in a real time, continuous fashion as long as the user is using the keyboard.
In addition to keyboard dynamics, another way to identify or associate demographics or demographic information of clients or users is to track the user's behavior patterns while using an X-Y device such as a computer mouse or touch pad. A mouse for a computer is an input device that translates the position of a tracking ball to the position of the pointer on the computer display screen. Generally, a computer mouse uses a tracking ball or other location tracker, but other kinds of a mouse exist as touch pads, touch screens, joysticks or such a device that yields an x,y or x,y,z coordinate on a computer display screen. How the mouse is used and its placement is demographic specific due to the user's length of fingers, hands, arms and body position when using a mouse. When X-Y device activity occurs such as mouse activity, user demographic information can be identified by comparing the current mouse activity to a stored mouse activity pattern associated with demographic groups.
Information indicates that the keyboard dynamics and X-Y device dynamics of a user may be related to the age, sex, left-right handedness, level of education, etc. of the user. When accessing these electronic devices, the keyboard dynamics then yields demographic information about the user without the knowledge of the user. A statistical probability for each demographic element can be mapped to keyboard dynamics.
In prior systems, keyboards dynamics have been used as a signature to a user. In this invention, keyboard dynamics serve as a signature for demographic groups. Collecting the demographic information via keyboard dynamics allows businesses to determine their customer demographic with much less labor and material cost and with the benefit of not requiring the customer to complete onerous, lengthy questionnaires. The use of probability distribution references provides a fast, adaptable, scalable method for identifying the demographic group of users.
Obtaining, collating and understanding the demographics of clients or users is a desired element to the marketing efforts of any business. Businesses spend substantial time and money on collecting and analyzing demographic data on customers or potential customers, as well as on who accesses their business websites. Traditional means of collecting demographic data consist of requesting customers to complete questionnaires in order to obtain their contact information and/or their demographic information. These questionnaires may for instance be associated with registering products with warranty information. These means, however, have proven to be expensive and not entirely accurate, since there is no means to prevent the customer from completing the questionnaire with false information.
Information is available to suggest that the X-Y device dynamics of a user may be related to the age, sex, left-right handedness, level of education, etc. of the user, such as the user of a computer mouse, a track ball, a touch pad, etc. When accessing these electronic devices, the X-Y device dynamics then yields demographic information about the user without the knowledge of the user. A statistical probability for each demographic element can be mapped to X-Y device dynamics.
An object of some aspects of this invention is to provide a relatively fast and adaptable system for associating a demographic with a user of a keyboard or an X-Y device such as a computer mouse, including an anonymous or an unidentified user. The monitoring and/or sensing of keyboard related dynamics or X-Y device dynamics provides a non-intrusive way to provide such a system or mechanism. The probability distribution references used to produce the demographic data, signatures or profiles may be utilized in embodiments of this invention to provide a scalable way to associate or identify the selected demographic of the user, including the anonymous user. In aspects of this invention, the probability distribution references (which may be a probability table in one aspect of the invention), provide for the scaling of potentially very large volumes or amounts of data, relative to O(1) number of users. This probability distribution reference may later be trained on an ongoing basis, and may therefore be utilized to provide a single comparison reference against which to compare new data to be compared for identification with a demographic. Other keyboard dynamic methods scale to n or n2 number of users.
It is also an object of some embodiments of this invention to provide a system which identifies demographics of an anonymous or unidentified user (anonymous or unidentified in the sense of the demographics of the user and/or the user personal and contact information), including identifying more unique metrics, data points, characteristics or attributes of demographic groups.
While the invention was motivated in addressing some objectives, it is in no way so limited. The invention is only limited by the accompanying claims as literally worded, without interpretative or other limiting reference to the specification, and in accordance with the doctrine of equivalents.
Other objects, features, and advantages of this invention will appear from the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings which form a part hereof. In carrying out the objects of this invention, it is to be understood that its essential features are susceptible to change in design and structural arrangement, with only one practical and preferred embodiment being illustrated in the accompanying drawings, as required.